Change Your World Week Winter 2022 (Archived)

[Image Id: a group of protestors with a woman holding a cardboard sign being the focal point. The sign has two earths painted on it, separated by a bold red line. The earth on the left is vibrant with healthy trees and polar ice caps; the earth on the right is duller and has no polar caps, instead depicting drought-stricken trees, tornadoes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. The sign has bold red text saying "YOU DECIDE" at the bottom.]

Climate change is the changing of Earth's climate over many years. It refers specifically to the changes in the earth's climate caused by human actions, like the excessive burning of fossil fuels which release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. The goal of this page is to give you a more in-depth understanding of what climate change is, the history of climate change, and what you can do to combat it. 

The notion of climate change is not a new one, though it took many years before it was seen as a serious issue with potentially dire consequences. The theorized effects of climate change were being studied in the early 1800s by physicist and mathematician Joseph Fourier. He found, through calculations now known as the Fourier series, that the earth should be much cooler if warmed only by the sun, theorizing that there was something else in the atmosphere that kept the planet warm. This is where the notion of the “greenhouse effect” originated, even though he never actually used the term. He never actually tested this theory, only using calculations to prove it. 

The first person to put Fouriers theories into practice was an amateur scientist, Eunice Newton Foote. She studied how the temperature of the sun’s rays was affected by the various gasses in the earth's atmosphere. She conducted this experiment by placing a mercury thermometer into jars and glass jars; she measured the temperature of dry air and various gasses, finding that the jar with the gasses-- water vapor and carbon dioxide (H2O(g), CO2)-- got much warmer and took much longer to cool off.  Her findings were published in the American Journal of Science and Arts in November 1856, though she did not get much recognition for her findings until recently. Instead, three years later, a scientist by the name of John Tyndall was credited with this discovery as he had the advantage of an education, more refined tools with which to perform the experiment, and the fact that he was a man from Ireland, whereas Eunice Newton Foote was a woman from America.

The next major scientist in studying climate change was a Swedish man named Svante Arrhenius. Arrhenius predicted that humans were the main source of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. He made thousands of calculations, by hand, on the effect of CO2 on the climate. He discovered that if carbon emissions were halved, then the temperature of the planet would be cooler by four to five degrees Celsius (approx. five to nine degrees Fahrenheit). He used this process to explain the ice age, and why global temperatures fluctuate. He also calculated that a fifty percent increase in the CO2 levels of the planet would raise the temperature by five to six degrees Celcius (approx. nine to eleven degrees Fahrenheit), though he predicted this change to happen over the next three thousand years.

During the industrial revolution and into the twenty-first century, the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere increased drastically in a short amount of time, raising by approximately thirty percent in the past one hundred years as opposed to Arrheniums's theorized fifty percent over the course of three thousand years. There were some who even welcomed global warming, saying the temperature increase would be nice. However, scientists continued to speak against climate change in the 1960s though they were outspoken.

This was due in part to the "Global cooling" scare in the 1970s, (taking part from 1940 to 1970) where there were record lows in temperature. This was thought to be because of the increase in aerosol production, which reflected the sun's rays away from the earth. Global warming quickly became the main problem again and in 1988, when a spokesperson for NASA confirmed that it was happening and the world needed to lower greenhouse gas emissions. A year later the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that the rapid increase in global temperatures would result in more severe natural disasters, like droughts, hurricanes, and wildfires, as well as rising sea levels. 

It wasn't until 1997 that something was finally written to hopefully lower greenhouse gas emissions, the Kyoto Protocol. The United States (under Bill Clinton), European Union, and forty-one other countries signed the Kyoto Protocol, enacted in 2005, which aimed to lower emissions of greenhouse gases so that the climate would no longer be so severely impacted. The goal was to lower emissions from 1990 by five percent from 2008 to 2012. When George W. Bush was elected, he withdrew the United States from the Kyoto Protocol.

 The next major action against climate change was The Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement came in 2015, and its goals were to stop the global temperature from rising more than two degrees Celcius (approximately four degrees Fahrenheit) and work towards net-zero emissions. When Trump became president he withdrew from the Paris Agreement, in November 2020, which Obama had agreed to. When Joe Biden was elected into office, after the mandatory wait of thirty days, he had the United States re-join.

Causes

All around the globe, animals and humans have been heavily affected by climate change. From raging wildfires in Australia and California to mass animal extinction, the earth has reached a dangerous surface level temperature of 1.02 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the hottest it has been in the past 2,000 years. (NASA Global Temperature, 2021)

One major cause of climate change is the "greenhouse effect", which is when gases are trapped into the earth's atmosphere, causing surface temperatures to increase. These gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Acting as important feedback mechanisms, these gases can also cause harmful long-term effects. The release of carbon dioxide is from natural processes like respiration and volcanic eruptions, or from human activities such as deforestation and fossil-fuel burning.

It is expressed by the researchers of climate change from NASA that human activity is the leading cause of global warming. However, solar variability has also contributed. "It's reasonable to assume that changes in the Sun's energy output would cause the climate to change, since the Sun is the fundamental source of energy that drives our climate system." (NASA Climate Change, 2022) Even so, changes in energy from the sun have proven to be consistent or to only change slightly. Scientists have observed a cooler upper atmosphere with a warmer middle/lower atmosphere. Solar variability may have added to climate change, yet an increase in trapped atmospheric heat has proved otherwise.

Effects

Even though surface temperatures have changed one degree at a time, they have shown detrimental effects on the environment. From a loss of sea ice to forest fires, these wounding consequences are expected to do further damage. Greenhouse gases have introduced global warming and climate forcing. A warming effect caused by carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide has forced the earth's climate to change how heat is being released. Along with this warmer weather, complications like forest fires, heatwaves, and droughts are more common. There is also a higher risk for strong hurricanes, cyclones, heavy precipitation, and flooding to occur. Since 1993, the average sea level has risen by 0.12 to 0.14 inches each year. (EPA, 2021) Lastly, without proper snowfall coverage and heavy winters, this poses a risk for both animals and humans. Polar bears face extinction, roads are more exposed to erosion, and crops suffer from shortened frost seasons.

On a positive note, these irreversible effects can be prevented from getting any worse. There are roughly 80 years left to make a change in human activity, with global temperatures set to rise by 4-8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. (NASA, 2022)

Below is an interactive tool from NASA; the climate time machine. Click on the different topics to see a visual of how the earth's climate has changed over time.

The detrimental effects of climate change are clear. If left alone for much longer, the opportunity to fix what has happened will pass humanity by. So what can be done? How do we combat this growing threat to life on Earth?

Recycling

Recycling is one of the first things that comes to mind when a person brings up helping to save the ecosystem and prevent global warming. Recycling reduces pollution and helps resolve landfill issues. It also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy consumption. Using recycled materials to make new products causes less of a need for new materials. This avoids greenhouse gas emissions that would result from extracting or mining new materials. Also, manufacturing products from recycled materials typically requires less energy than doing so from new materials. (King County, 2018)

Most people tend to recycle their cans, or paper products and cardboard. However, those aren't the only recyclable things. If you want more information on what kinds of items can be recycled and how to go about doing that, check out this website, which has a list of items that can be recycled, as well as what to do with items that cannot be recycled to minimize damage to the ecosystem.

Energy Efficiency

Since carbon emissions are considered one of the greatest causes of climate change, making more use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, would be a big step toward solving the problem. Switching to these energy sources, where possible, would result in much less emission of heat-trapping gasses, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. In addition to moving toward renewable energy, shifting to electric vehicles and public transport, rather than driving vehicles that burn fossil-fuels, could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Herring, 2020). In Michigan, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) released the draft MI Healthy Climate Plan, which includes plans for renewable energy and provisions for electric cars. (Michigan League of Conservation Voters, 2017) If climate change concerns you, urge Governor Whitmer to implement the plan here.

Restoring the Ecosystem

One method we could take as a nation is to counteract the amount of carbon dioxide emissions by investing in services that draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This includes things like planting trees, and implementing carbon capture and storage techniques. Plants and trees will convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, but it takes some time to do, and deforestation has reduced the effectiveness of this method. Replanting trees will help bring things back into balance. A movement known as #TeamTrees accepts donations, and will plant a tree for every dollar donated. Check out their movement here.

What is carbon dioxide capture and sequestration? It is a set of technologies that can capture CO2 from power plants, compress it, transport it, and inject it into deep underground rock formations. (EPA, 2017) These formations are usually around a mile underground, and consist of porous rock that absorbs the CO2, and impermeable layers of rock above it that stops the CO2 from returning to the surface. According to the EPA, these CCS technologies can dramatically reduce carbon emissions from plants that burn fossil fuels, often between 80-90%. (2017) Visit the EPA's Carbon Equivalencies Calculator to see this expressed in equivalent terms.

Making Your Voice Heard

One of the best ways to have your voice heard is to join a collective whose message aligns with your own. Policymakers and corporations are more likely to listen to a large movement than an individual voice. If you want to become part of the fight to save the planet, check out some of these petitions.:

• A petition to protect the Amazon Rainforest with 40,000 out of 50,000 signatures.
• A petition to add climate change to the curriculum in school with 95,000 out of 150,000 signatures.
• A petition by children in India demanding the declaration of a National Climate Emergency with 374,000 out of 500,000 signatures.
• A petition by a New York high school student demanding acknowledgement from the House of Representatives with 86,000 out of 150,000 signatures.

There are many more like this on Change.org, and are a good way to have your voice heard. If a more direct approach is preferred, you can look up your representative in the Michigan House of Representatives here and email them with your concerns. Together, we have the power to save the planet, and leave a better world for future generations.

"Climate Time Machine." NASA. NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio, 23 Mar. 2022. https://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/climate-time-machine

"Global Temperature." NASA. Goddard Institute For Space Studies, 23 Mar. 2022. https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/

"Climate Change Indicators." EPA. United States Environment Protection Agency, 31 Mar. 2022 https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators

"Is it too late to prevent climate change?" NASA. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 23 Mar. 2022 https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/16/is-it-too-late-to-prevent-climate-change/#:~:text=Without%20major%20action%20to%20reduce,worst%20effects%20of%20climate%20change

"How Joseph Fourier discovered the greenhouse effect." The Irish Times. Peter Lynch, Mar. 21, 2019. Web. Mar 31, 2022. <https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/how-joseph-fourier-discovered-the-greenhouse-effect-1.3824189?msclkid=666aa483b17311ec9475ea97edb6a602>

"Climate change, recycling and waste prevention." King County Solid Waste Division, 25 Mar. 2022. https://kingcounty.gov/depts/dnrp/solid-waste/programs/climate/climate-change-recycling.aspx#:~:text=Recycling%20helps%20reduce%20greenhouse%20gas,extracting%20or%20mining%20virgin%20materials.

"Michigan needs a strong climate plan." Michigan League of Conservation Voters, 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2022 https://michiganlcv.org/mihealthyclimate/

"Carbon Dioxide Capture and Sequestration: Overview." EPA. united States Environmental Protection Agency, 6 Jan. 2017. Web. 5 Mar. 2022 https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climatechange/carbon-dioxide-capture-and-sequestration-overview_.html

"You Probably Didn't Know You Could Recycle These Things—But Here's How to Do It" Realsimple. Natalie Ermann Russell, 9 April 2019. Web. 30 Mar. 2022. https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/organizing-tips-techniques/recycle-anything

"What can we do to slow or stop global warming?" Climate.gov. David Herring, 20 Oct. 2020. Web. 22 Mar. 2022 https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/what-can-we-do-slow-or-stop-global-warming

"Happy 200th birthday to Eunice Foote, hidden climate science pioneer"  climate.gov. Amara Huddleston, July 17, 2019. Web Mar. 31 2022. <https://www.climate.gov/news-features/features/happy-200th-birthday-eunice-foote-hidden-climate-science-pioneer?msclkid=68f049eab17711ec942e9406c0eb3683>

"Svante Arrhenius, the man who foresaw climate change." Openmind.bbva. Climate change. Feb. 19, 2019, web. Mar. 31, 2022. <https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/svante-arrhenius-the-man-who-foresaw-climate-change/?msclkid=60386787b18411ec8fa4f12e04a06a93>

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "greenhouse effect". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/science/greenhouse-effect. Accessed 31 March 2022.

"Climate Change History." History. A&E Television Networks. Oct. 6, 2017. Web. Mar. 31, 2022. <https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/history-of-climate-change>